Distant Memories
by Nyouya1
Summary: Melody has a hard time letting Sirius go, even after all these years and everything that has happened. She looks back on all the times the two shared. Takes place during second book and on. ***Better description to come later.***
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One- First Meeting (1974)**

The platform was crowded, the never-ending bustle of students getting ready to depart for Hogwarts caused the station to be filled with noise, making it hard to hear the instructions her parents were trying to fill her head with. For what it was worth, Melody wasn't really listening to them. She was taking in as much of her surroundings as she could as this was her first time on the platform, and this would be her first trip to Hogwarts. All around her students rushed past, pushing their trunks or catching up with friends they hadn't seen over the summer break.

Melody was a student from Beauxbatons, but she had been forced to transfer when her father had gotten a job with the Ministry of Magic in London, and her mother didn't want to leave her behind in France. Not with you-know-who on the rise. So here she was at the age of 15, seeing the Hogwarts Express for the first time.

"Melody, are you even listening to me?" Her mother's harsh tone cut over the constant drone of the happenings of the platform. Melody felt herself being pulled back, her parents gaining her full attention. "Now I don't want to hear from your cousins that you have fallen in with the wrong crowd. Do not drag our name through the mud simply because you are feeling rebellious. No more stunts like the ones you pulled in France."

"I won't, mother." Melody fought the urge to roll her eyes. Constance, her mother, might as well come out and say it: she wasn't allowed to hang out with muggle-borns. "I probably won't see many anyway, because the chances that I will be placed somewhere other than Slytherin are slim to none, mother."

"And don't you forget it." Constance nodded proudly. She had worked hard to make sure to raise her daughter with the proper ideals of a pureblood, and to uphold the family tradition of going to Hogwarts and being a part of House Slytherin. France was merely a blip. She did not want to see that get ruined. "Now the train is getting ready to leave; off you go."

Melody received a curt nod from her quiet father, Richard, and a brief kiss on the cheek from her mother. With that her parents turned away without another glance to make sure she got on it or anything. It wasn't that they were cold or anything, Melody had never felt unloved. Their way of showing it was just a little off compared to other families.

Melody sighed and turned towards the steam train. She was about to step forward and up the steps into the train when a black haired kid rushed past her towards his friends. She followed him as he hugged his friend with messy hair in that way guys do. With a brief slap on the back they separated, and turned toward where she was standing. As soon as she got a good look at his face, she knew he was a Black. He was Regulus' older brother, Sirius. She had been to several functions with her parents but had hardly seen the older Black son, just the younger one. She had certainly never spoken to him.

He began to walk right past her as she continued to stare. He was better looking than his younger brother, Melody would give him that. His black hair was long, but she found on him it worked to his advantage. He probably knew it did too. The charm and smugness rolled off of him in waves. It almost annoyed her, if it hadn't been working. Soon the duo was joined by two other boys, a quiet one and one that reminded her of a mouse or rat who hung out in the background.

"Excuse me." Melody cleared her throat to speak loudly enough for the four friends to hear her over their friendly banter. The four stopped talking, and turned slowly to look at her in surprise as if just realizing that she was there. "You are blocking the entrance."

"And what a tragedy that is." Sirius laughed, but he stepped aside all the same with a swoop of his arms as though presenting her with the doorway. "So sorry, madame, your chariot awaits."

"Yes, so sorry." His friend with the messy hair mirrored the move on the other side of the door, however he held out his hand to help her up the few steps. "Please allow us to escort you to a compartment."

"Uh… Thank you, but I think I can find my own." Melody hesitated at this show of grandeur. She had heard that Sirius Black was a jokester, but didn't want to put it to the test herself. She was fine with jokes, as long as they didn't hurt anyone. She was about to take a step between the two boys, but they stood up and blocked her path again. "Please let me through."

"Are you too good for us?" Sirius asked, crossing his arms, mock glaring at her. "Don't want to hang out with a bunch of rowdy guys?"

"I just want to make it to school." Melody answered honestly. The two boys glanced at each other as smiles broke out on their faces. She could feel herself starting to get annoyed. "What now?"

"They are annoying, aren't they?" The quiet friend stepped up beside her before the other two could answer. He looked at her kindly, and she understood that he wasn't entirely like the other two. She offered him a weak smile. "I'm Remus by the way. And those two are James Potter and Siri-"

"Sirius Black. I know." Melody smiled again but it was more for herself due to the looks of surprise on all four of their faces. She had learned to take joy in the small things life gave you a long time ago.

"Wait a minute…" Sirius stepped closer to Melody, his eyes narrowed as he tried to place her face to her name. "I know you. You're Melody Crowe. Our parents are in the same circle. I was at your house over the summer holiday. Though I guess up until this year it was just your summer house."

"Yes, you were. You even made fun of my dress at the function." Melody nodded, trying to step around Sirius, but he mirrored her and got in her way. "Will you please get out of my way? You've had your fun, but I would really like to get on the train now as I don't want to be stuck without a compartment to sit in."

Melody once again tried to step around him, and once again Sirius stepped in her way. Rolling her eyes, she blew a strand of blonde hair off her face. Taking a deep breath, she took a step towards him, grabbed his lapels and planted a kiss on his lips. He went statue still, which gave her the chance to sneak around him, and on to the train.

"Toodles." Melody waggled her fingers as she disappeared into the train, leaving the four boys stunned on the platform.

She rushed to find a thankfully empty compartment where she could be alone with her thoughts. What had she been thinking?! She had kissed him! She hadn't meant to kiss him, but she couldn't think of anything else to do to get him out of her way. What made him decide to single her out like that was beyond her. He hadn't even known who she was when he started. She needed to get a grip.

With a huff she dropped into the window seat as she felt the train start to leave the station. Leaning her head back, and closing her eyes, she sighed. She had the whole train ride to come to terms with what she had done. Her mother would be thrilled with the match. That thought had her snorting out loud.

"What's so funny?" Sirius' voice rang through her thoughts. Melody's eyes flew open, and she saw the four boys standing in the open compartment door. She hadn't even heard it open. "All the other compartments are full, so you are stuck with us."

The boys entered the compartment, and slid the door closed behind them. Remus sat beside her, with the three boys across from them. Sirius sat directly across from her at the window seat. He leaned his elbow on the window sill, and stared at her as though thinking.

Melody did her best not to meet his gaze, and stared out the window as the English country side flew by on their way to Scotland. She could feel his eyes on her the whole time, making it so she couldn't enjoy what she was seeing. She hadn't travelled much in England until the past summer when her parents had finally started taking her on their trips. She had really looked forward to seeing this part of the country. But Sirius was ruining it for her.

"Why did you kiss me?" Sirius asked, his voice ringing out in the quiet compartment. 20 minutes of silence had passed, and no one had said a word. Everyone looked up at him, a little startled by the sudden noise.

Melody slowly turned her head to meet his grey gaze. She hoped she achieved the look of boredom she was trying to mask her face with. "It was a means to an end. I needed you out of my way, and you weren't moving. I did what I had to."

"Is that right?" Sirius chuckled and leaned back in his seat. Melody had to admit, he had a nice smile when it reached his eyes. It was a quick moment though, as the thoughtful look fell over his face again. He briefly touched his fingers to his lips, but took them away when he noticed her staring.

"Would you like it to have meant more?" Melody leaned back also. She would play his game. For now.

"No." Sirius snapped quickly. He scowled when she raised an eyebrow in his direction. "It's not as though I've never been kissed before."

"Ah yes, that's right." Melody rolled her eyes. "I had heard you were a real Casanova. And from what I saw this past summer, the rumour isn't entirely wrong."

"Well you can't believe everything you hear." Sirius shrugged, not committing to the statement one way or another. It earned him an elbow from James.

"But you can believe most of it." James piped in, wrapping his arm around Sirius' shoulders. "This guy has more than his fair share of women fawning over him day and night. More than one has tried to slip him a love potion."

"Sod off!" Sirius pushed James away. "Besides, we can't all pine after one girl for 3 years. It's not like we all have our own Lily Evans to chase."

"Lily Evans?" Melody prompted. She was finding this whole exchange amusing. Clearly neither boy wanted the other to share too much, but they couldn't help themselves. Censorship did not seem to be a word in their vocabulary.

"James has been in love with her since first year." Remus supplied when Sirius and James seemed to get lost in their own bantering world. "I'm sure you will meet her eventually. She tries to get along with everyone, even people that are better avoided."

"Like who?" That had piqued Melody's interest. She found she could learn a lot on the ride to the Hogwarts from these four. If the information turned out to be useless, she could forget it. But it was better to be overly prepared than not at all.

"Severus Snape." Remus lowered his voice, casting a nervous look at James and Sirius, who had not heard. "He's a Death Eater in the making for sure. It doesn't help that he is in Slytherin. That House seems to spawn Death Eaters."

"Are you talking about Snivellus?" James tuned in suddenly, ditching his conversation with Sirius. Melody was glad for the distraction as no one noticed her blush. Of the group, Sirius would be the only one who could rat on her for being a pureblood from a family with very entrenched views on the matter. But he seemed to be keeping silent about that part.

"Not really." Remus shrugged. As much as he didn't like Snape, he also didn't think his friends were wise about how they went about dealing with the kid. "Just chatting about people at Hogwarts in general."

"Well you had best stay away from Snivellus. He is creep to say the least." James scowled, most likely his thoughts going back to Lily and her friendship with Snape. "It's best to give the Slytherins a wide berth all together, not just individuals."

"But that isn't to say that there aren't certain ones you should avoid more than others." Sirius leaned in, getting in on the conversation. "Snivellus is definitely one of them. Along with Malfoy."

"As in Lucius Malfoy?" Melody asked, trying to keep calm. This group clearly hated the house she was probably going to get sorted into. She didn't feel threatened, but she was starting to like this group's dynamic, and she could see herself fitting in with them very easily.

"The one and only." Sirius nodded, catching her eye. Melody looked at him, hoping she had on a face of indifference. It didn't matter what she looked like this, Sirius saw right through her if the small reassuring smile was anything to go by. "Thank Merlin for that."

Melody leaned back in her seat, and started staring out the window again. Sirius would keep her secret for now. Obviously it would come out if she was sorted into Slytherin, but for this train ride at least, she could rest easy. In the reflection of the window, Melody saw Sirius touch his lips one more time before joining in the lively debate about the best Quidditch team.

"I for one like the Chudley Cannons." Melody tossed out into the conversation just to get the boys riled up. She laughed as they immediately jumped all over her words with rebuttals about how their glory days are over contrary to being really good in the previous century.

Melody blinked several times as the scene before became foggy. She felt the familiar pull of being sucked out of the memory. When she blinked again, she was back in her office in her London flat overlooking a quiet little park. The Pensieve rippled, and then quieted as the memory faded. She waved her wand to replace the memory bottle back to it's place on the shelf above the Pensieve.

Melody had watched the scene a thousand times from the same place outside the compartment on the Hogwarts Express. She wished she hadn't gotten so caught up in the sights that she could remember more about what happened in that compartment. More of what had been said. She wished she had paid more attention to Sirius. But hindsight was difficult that way.

Wiping a tear from her eye, Melody left the office. She had had a dream about him last night, which made her need to see him again. Picking up the newspaper she had abandoned along with her coffee, she sat down in the breakfast nook. Pulling her legs up under her on the bench seat, she unfolded the paper and began to read.

February 14th, 1993. It was Valentine's day. She hated this day. It only reminded her of what she couldn't have, and hadn't had for 12 years now. The paper was light for news apparently, as the front page featured a fluff piece by Rita Skeeter. Melody couldn't stand her and her over exaggeration of the truth. Why did it have to be Valentine's Day. Didn't she suffer enough? Stupid Rita Skeeter, and stupid February 14th.

Melody threw her coffee mug still filled with coffee across the room, where it shattered against the wall. She tried to take deep breaths as she watched the black coffee drip down the cream coloured wall. She ran her hands through her long blonde hair, wanting to rip it out. How could it still hurt this much after this many years?

Her palm burned as if to remind her how it could still feel so fresh. Looking down at her right hand, she stroked the long thin scar on her palm as though trying to sooth it. It wouldn't work. It wasn't for her it was burning. Sirius was in pain, and this was her price for loving him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two- Valentine's Day (1975)**

Melody rubbed her palm as she got up. She should probably clean up the coffee before it left a stain or at least before it dried. Plus it probably wasn't the best idea to leave broke mug shards lying around. Knowing her, she would forget about it and then step on a piece later.

The pain. The pain was always there. Almost constantly. She couldn't escape it. In a way it was a comfort. It meant he was still alive. Granted she wished he wasn't suffering as much as he seemed to. Melody couldn't hold back the shiver that ran through her body at the thought of what Sirius was enduring at the hands of Dementors. Her pain was nothing compared to that.

Melody got out of the dust pan and gently stacked the broken mug in it. She was careful to sweep up any tiny shards that might embed themselves in her feet later. She was standing to go to the trash bin when a big wave of pain hit her. It started in her palm but quickly raced up her arm. She reached out for the counter to steady herself. There wasn't much else she could do except ride it out.

With a sigh, it quickly passed. Melody made short work of the dust pan full of mug, and rushed back to the Pensieve. She needed to see him again. She flicked her wand, knowing exactly what memory she wanted to see. The silvery surface rippled as the memory swirled and filled the shallow disc.

"Melody." Sirius' sing song voice called to her from the stairs leading up to the boys' dorm rooms. Melody looked up from where she sat on the couch reading in front of the fire. The voice was soon followed by the boy, who had the goofiest grin on his face she had ever seen.

"What do you want, Black?" Melody had learned that it was never wise to associate with him when he was smiling like that. "I'm a little busy."

"Yes I can see that." Sirius leaned over the back of the couch to get a better glimpse of what Melody was reading. "Are you studying?! Potions!? But it's Friday, and classes are over for the weekend."

"What's wrong with that?" Melody snapped her textbook closed. She turned to face him more. "We can't all coast through school like you. Some of us actually have to crack a text and study every once in a while."

"But is this urgent?" Sirius ignored her, and stepped over the back of the couch, sliding down to sit beside her. He took her text from her, and leaned in real close to whisper in her ear. "Will you be my Valentine?"

"Ha! You wish!" Melody couldn't help bursting out laughing at his obnoxious question. "Me along with every other girl in the school. Come on, Sirius, we both know that by the end of the night you will have snogged at least 3 girls. And I would rather not be one of them."

"Come on, Melody." Sirius whined and pouted to the best of his abilities. However, recently Melody had developed a thick skin when it came to Sirius Black's advances, and she remained immune for now. "I know you secretly want to, but that you don't want to let yourself."

"Oh? And how is it that you know that?" Melody set him with an incredulous look. Sometimes he could act so full of himself that she wondered if he actually believed the things he said or if he just said them in the hopes that he was right and he got to gloat about it.

"Well there was that time you made out with on Christmas Eve." Sirius began listing events off on his fingers. "And again on New Year's Eve. Not to mention the first Hogmeade weekend. And on the train platform."

"First of all I did NOT make out with at the train station. I merely kissed you to get you out of my way." Melody was shocked that he had brought up all those times when they kissed in the middle of the common on a day when there happened to be a lot of activity. "Secondly, I was not the one who initiated the Hogsmeade kiss. And that's also what that was, just a kiss. We did not snog. Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are also your doing as you were the one who spiked the pumpkin juice at the parties."

"Well that may be true, but I definitely did not hear you complaining any of those times." Sirius sat back, looking quite pleased with himself. Melody's mouth fell open as her argument died on her tongue. She couldn't prove him wrong; she had enjoyed every time they had shared a kiss. "I can't believe it. Is Melody Crowe finally at a loss of words?"

"Sod off." Melody shoved him playfully, coming to her sensing, and trying to bring the conversation back to lighter topics. It had gotten dangerously close to some heavy stuff she wasn't willing to admit just yet.

"I'm being serious, Melody." The grin vanished from his face, and he turned to face her fully. He pulled her so she was square with him on the couch. She had never seen Sirius so somber before. "I want to have fun today, and you are the only one I want to do that with."

"What about Remus and Peter? What about James?" Melody was confused. Usually the Marauders were inseparable. Though now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen much of them today. Just Remus in her charms class, and Peter in potions. "Where are they?"

"James is off trying to come up with the best way to get Lily. Remus is sick once again. And Peter is who knows where." Sirius listed them off as an afterthought. "So you, my dear sweet Melody, are the only one left. And really, I would rather be with you right now than them."

"Sirius, what's going on?" Melody eyed him suspiciously. It concerned her greatly that he didn't want to hang out with the boys. She rested a hand on his knee as her eyes met his. "You can talk to me, you know that, right?"

"I do, but right now I'm not ready to." Sirius patted her hand, leaving his warm one covering hers. "When I am, though, I know where to find you."

"Okay, good." Melody nodded, content for now with his answer. She cleared her throat and shook herself of the dark feeling that had been creeping up on her. "Now, what would you like to do tonight?"

"Well, I was thinking that since it's Valentine's Day, and students are allowed to go to Hogsmeade, we would avoid it like the plague. Especially Madame Puddifoot's." Sirius laughed. That place was too pink for him.

"I totally agree with you there." Melody cringed at the thought of stepping foot in Madame Puddifoot's. She was very relieved that Sirius did not plan to take her there. "But there are only so many places here that we can actually go."

"Only if I didn't have access to some of James' things." Sirius said vaguely, with a twinkle in his eyes. "Wait here."

Sirius leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before jumping off the couch, and bounding up the stairs to the boys' dorms. Melody sat there stunned. Normally when they did things like that it was in privacy, not where someone might see them. As far as she was aware, there were no rumours of her and Sirius floating around Hogwarts, and she wanted to keep it that way. The last thing she needed was for people to think their friendship was more than just that.

Sirius was back just as quickly as he left, the grin and twinkle still in place. In his hands he held a large cloak with a funny pattern on it. His grin became a full blown smile as he grabbed her hand, and pulled her off of the couch. Before Melody could question where they were going, he was pulling her out the portrait hole and into the hallway.

"Is anyone coming?" Sirius faced her, looking around to make sure they were alone. When Melody shook her head, he flicked open the cloak and covered both of them. "Stay close, and we will be fine. Try not to make any noise."

"Is this what I think it is?" Melody was almost speechless. James had an invisibility cloak? But how?! Sirius cast her a look of warning as he began to move down the hallway. His fingers entwined with hers in a comforting way when she tensed as a few Gryffindor first years moved past them.

Melody bite her lip to remain silent the rest of the way through the halls. She had no idea where Sirius was taking her, but he seemed determined to get her there. The amount of turns they took had Melody completely lost. They weren't going to any major rooms that she knew of. They were on the wrong floor for the Great Hall, the Library, their regular classrooms, and the kitchens. They had just come from the common rooms. So that was a no go. Just as she was about to open her mouth to ask, Sirius stopped.

"We're here." Sirius pulled the cloak off of them. They stood in front of a wall across from a tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. Melody frowned; she wasn't entirely convinced he wasn't going crazy. He started to pace, which deepened her suspicion about his insanity. "Stop looking at me like that. Ah there we go."

He cast one of his heart melting smiles, and pulled her towards a door that appeared on the wall that had been blank the moment before. The room of requirement, she should have known. She returned his smile, and allowed him to lead her into the room, curious about what it would look like.

"What do you think?" Sirius held out his arms, facing her as he walked backwards into the room.

Behind him was a massive roaring fire with overstuffed couches in front of it. Hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows and snacks sat on the coffee table. Quiet music played in the background. The walls were paneled with a deep red cherry wood with floor to ceiling book shelves filled with old tomes and novels. It was exactly what she had always wanted as a study or a library in her own home.

"Sirius…" Melody breathed as she looked around the room. It was as though he had taken the image right from her dreams. "This place is perfect."

"I know, and that it was why I wanted to spend today with you and not one of the guys." Sirius sat down on the couch, patting the spot beside him. Melody chose the other couch. Her head was still spinning from how close they had been under the cloak. "I don't bite."

"I know, but for now, this is better." Melody admitted as she settled back into the couch. She swung her legs up and tucked them up under her after reaching for a mug of hot chocolate. She leaned so that she was facing him, smiling contentedly. "So why did you bring me here?"

"You and I are cut from the same cloth. We are both the black sheep of our pureblood families, and we both disappoint them to no end." Sirius took a sip from his mug. He stared into the liquid as though trying to come up with his next words. "I think my brother is going to become one of them?"

"One of who?" Melody frowned, trying to decipher what Sirius was talking about. Then it dawned on her. "You mean… a Death Eater?"

"Yeah." She had to strain to hear the word he uttered. He kept staring into his mug as she watched him. "My parents started grooming him last summer to be more like them than like me. Regulus… He's just so… impressionable. I tried to talk to him then, and again at Christmas, but he won't listen to me."

"I'm sorry, Sirius. That really sucks." Melody couldn't think of what else to say. She quietly sipped her hot chocolate, contemplating what to do next. She glanced over at Sirius, and her decision was made for her.

She silently set down her hot chocolate, and got up. He gave her a questioning look, but she just smiled as she took his hot chocolate from him. She set it down beside her own without breaking eye contact. They stayed like that for a moment, just staring into each other's eyes.

"Sirius." Melody breathed as she leaned down and kissed him softly. His hands dove into her blonde hair almost instantly, deepening the kiss. She sighed against his lips, and moved to straddle his lap.

She couldn't get enough of kissing him. His hands ran up the outside of her thighs, sending tingles running through her. She wound her fingers into his hair, loving the feel of the silk between them. She couldn't help the tiny moan that escaped her throat when she tongue stroked against hers. His hand travelled from her thighs to her chest, which had her moaning again louder this time.

Melody's eyes flew open when she felt the first button on her top be popped opened. She pulled away as a deep red blush covered her cheeks. Sirius blinked a few times, confused about why she had pulled away. Melody quickly did the button back up, and climbed off him. She didn't go far, though, and she settled on to the couch beside him.

"Sorry, Sirius. I just don't think I am ready." Melody couldn't make eye contact with him. She was so embarrassed that she had let it get that far. "I mean, I just… Don't think we should. You and I are very different people. I wouldn't be content with just being one of many."

"I don't want you to be." Sirius admitted quietly, curling a finger under her chin and turning her to face him. He was smiling, which surprised her. He cleared his throat before continuing. "I don't want you to be just one of the many, but right now I don't think I can give you more. I have so much going through my head, that to start something with you… I wouldn't want to do it half way. You aren't a half way kind of girl. You deserve more."

"I totally understand that." Melody nodded. It was as though he read her mind. She didn't want some sort of fling with Sirius Black. If she was going to be with him, she wanted to be WITH him. She didn't want to be something on the side, and she didn't want him to be something on the side of her life either. But she knew she was willing to wait for him. "I will be here when you need me. If you ever need someone to talk to, or just to sit with, I am your girl."

"That you are." Sirius looked both relieved and awed. He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. He couldn't believe she was willing to stay by his side and wait for him to get his life sorted. Of all the girls he had snogged, he knew none of them were willing to be friends like Melody was.

They fell into a comfortable silence, each sipping their hot chocolates once again. Melody went to one of the shelves, and selected a book to read. Sirius laid his head in her lap while she read to herself, her fingers twirling his hair around them. It felt so good that he began to drift off, and she let him. This was quickly becoming her favourite Valentine's Day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three- Summer Break (1975)**

Melody looked around her empty house. Her parents were gone for the entire summer. They hadn't even been the ones to pick her up from the Hogwarts Express, though why she expected any differently after the whole Christmas debacle was beyond Melody. Her trunk lay at her feet; the house elf hadn't had a chance to bring it upstairs yet. The house elf had just handed her the letter stating that her parents were gone for the summer, and not to expect to see them until the middle of August if at all.

"They're still mad, aren't they?" Melody looked at Bodkin, who started pulling her trunk deeper into the house. The old house elf looked up, and nodded without a word. She didn't feel so bad now having stayed at the Leaky Cauldron for a few days to do some shopping in Diagon Alley before heading home. "Did they say why? Or is it still because of the Sorting thing?"

"The mistress wouldn't say, but Bodkin thinks so." Bodkin nodded again. The house elf had been with the family since Melody was born, so she had always found the elf to be very kind towards her. She knew this wasn't with all elves, which made her like Bodkin even more.

"Thank you, Bodkin." Melody nodded her appreciation. She took her trunk from the elf, although he looked ready to protest. "I can take this and unpack it. Thank you, though."

The house elf nodded with a smile, and snapped out of the room. Melody sighed as she began to trudge the stairs to her bedroom. This house was much too big for just her and Bodkin. Sometimes she wished she could move out, and take the house elf with her. Constance had basically disowned her at Christmas; especially when Melody didn't come home right away when break started. Easter had also been worse with her parents asking her not to come home at all. She couldn't make them happy. If it had been possible, she would have put money on them asking her to not come home for summer break too.

Melody flopped onto her bed and stared up at her ceiling. To make matters worse, she and Sirius had gotten into a fight right before the train left. It was a stupid fight, but she knew he wasn't going to be happy with her for a long time. Since Valentine's Day, they had spent a chunk of every day together. Until about two weeks ago, when he started making out with Valerie Prescott, a Ravenclaw girl, all over the school, and had stopped even talking to her. So at the platform, just as they were about to leave, Melody couldn't help it. She confronted him. Not about the snogging, she knew that meant nothing. But about him cutting her out. It had ended with him accusing her of being jealous, and her slapping him. Not the best way to start the summer.

"Accio quill and parchment." Melody waved her wand and mumbled. If her parents were going to be gone all summer, she wasn't living here alone the whole time.

Dear Lily

My parents are gone for the summer. It will be quite boring. Feel free to come join me if you find yourself bored and willing to visit a friend.

Thanks

Melody

She sealed the letter and sent it off with the household tawny owl, Chili. He was small, but he got the job done. Melody really hoped that Lily would visit. Since arriving at Hogwarts, Melody and Lily had quickly become friends. They both really enjoyed school, and loved studying together. Though Melody enjoyed pulling pranks on people, she never went overboard like the guys, so Lily actually appreciated her sense of humour. Melody had also become a buffer between Lily and James, as the latter was constantly fawning over Lily.

Melody flopped down on her bed again, sighing deeply. She couldn't keep the argument out of her head. She couldn't spend all summer like this, but she also knew that she couldn't send Sirius a letter at his parents' house. Walburga would probably destroy it without ever telling him about it. But she couldn't leave it this way. Not after Valentine's Day. They had connected in a way she couldn't explain. He had been different after that night.

"Screw this." Melody pushed herself up off her bed. She was going to see a messy haired boy about her friend. She threw a few clean clothes in an overnight bag haphazardly. She made sure she had her wand in her pocket before leaving her room. "Bodkin! I'm leaving for a few days!"

Melody didn't wait for a response as she left the house, making sure to lock the door behind her. She hiked her bag over her shoulder as she walked to the end of the driveway, and lifted her wand hand in the air. A few seconds after her hand was in the air, she felt a woosh of air, and a triple decker bus stopped in front of her. The Knight Bus had shown up to take her to London.

It was an interesting ride, but when wasn't it on the Knight Bus? Melody ended up at the front door of the Potter residence, stumped about how to approach this. She knew Sirius was probably not there. Yes, he spent all sorts of time with James in and out school, but it was still early in the break, so she might have lucked out.

"Melody?!" James answered the door after she knocked three times in quick secession. He had a shocked look on his face; he definitely wasn't expecting her. He stepped out onto the front porch, closing the door behind him. "What are you doing here?"

"I just need you to get a message to Sirius." Melody frowned for a moment before the words came to her. "I just don't like how things have been left with us, and I can't leave it like that all summer. And I realize now that I could have owled once Chili was back or used the post, but I wanted to make sure it got to him and that his parents didn't destroy the letter out dislike for him and now for me."

"Yes… Well..." James hesitated, stumbling over his words. He glanced behind him at the door as though in deep thought. "Sirius is here… If you want to tell him yourself."

"He's here!?" It was Melody's turn to be shocked. She felt her stomach drop and do the funny flipping thing it did whenever she was around Sirius or he was mentioned. She had almost been hoping he wouldn't be at James'. "Well… Then I guess… Can I speak to him? I'm sorry to have intruded."

"I'll go get him." James smiled brightly. It was an odd reaction. James should have been upset with her. She knew Lily would be upset with Sirius if the roles had been reversed. He disappeared inside silently.

Melody waited patiently on the porch. It wasn't long before she heard voices on the other side of the door, more than just two voices, insisting that Sirius go outside. He clearly wasn't fully on board with this plan, but the door opened all the same, revealing Remus and James standing behind Sirius, pushing him at the door.

"Hey." Melody said quietly. The greeting seemed weak to her ears, but she couldn't come up with anything else when faced with the guy she liked. He glared over his shoulder at the two other boys, and stepped outside. "How are you doing?"

"You mean in the two days since you haven't seen me?" Sirius grumbled. Melody frowned. They had fought, yes, but it hadn't been serious enough to warrant this kind of reaction to seeing her. Or at least that's what she had thought.

"I'm sorry to just barge in like this. I didn't know you would be here." Melody said quietly. She couldn't seem to find her voice, and the way he was acting didn't make her feel welcome at all. She looked around the porch with its pots of brightly coloured flowers. "I just wanted to apologize for what happened on the platform."

"Apology accepted. Now you can leave." Sirius turned back to the door without looking at her. This made Melody's blood boil. She would not let him treat her like this. Yanking on his arm, she stopped him from going into the house. "What are you doing?"

"Why are you acting like this?" Melody ignored the look on his face; she was too determined to find out what was wrong. "It can't be because of the fight on the platform? What happened? Something must have, otherwise you wouldn't be treating me this way, especially after I apologized."

She could see that he wanted to tell her, but that he was holding back. She didn't know why he would, and that made her soften. She changed her grip on his arm from a hold to a touch, and stopped frowning. Sliding her hand down his arm, she took his hand and gently pulled him over to the chairs on the porch. She sat down in one, and looked at him with a calm, open face. She was ready to be the attentive friend, and listen to what happened to him.

"I left my parents' house." Sirius blurted out after they sat there for a moment in silence. Melody did well to hide her shock, letting him continue without giving her opinion. "I just got so tired of what they stand for, and what they are doing to Regulus. The whole thing just made me sick, and I couldn't take it anymore. I had to get out of there."

"Merlin's beard! Sirius, I didn't know." Melody felt like a git. She was the worst friend for not knowing that there was something that huge going on in her friend's life. "I'm so sorry."

"It's ok. There is nothing you could have done." Sirius shrugged, though Melody could see it still bothered him. He sighed, and gave the hand he was still holding a squeeze. "I'm sorry about what happened on the train platform. I just had so much on my mind, and it was easy to lash out at you. I know you didn't deserve it, and I really am sorry."

"Forget about that." Melody waved away his concern. Any thoughts she had had about that day were totally gone the second Sirius had told her he had left his parents'. He needed a friend more than she needed an apology. "So you live here now?"

"Yeah, the Potters were kind enough to take me, but the second I am able, I'm going to move out." Sirius sounded determined. "I'm super grateful that they have taken me in, but I don't want to impose on them for longer than I have to."

Melody nodded, and sat back in the chair. She smiled out at the quiet street, her fingers still loosely entwined with Sirius'. They sat in comfortable silence, a thing they had always been able to achieve easily. His thumb began to trace back and forth over her knuckles, sending tingles over her skin.

"How's Valerie?" Melody found herself asking quietly. She mentally kicked herself when she felt Sirius stiffen.

"You know she means nothing." Sirius finally answered in a measured tone. Melody knew she was already walking on egg shells, why would she aggravate him? Melody clamped her eyes shut when she felt him start to move. His lips gently pressed to her knuckles, making her eyes pop open.

"What are you doing?" Melody asked, staring at him as though he had grown two heads. He had been ignoring her for weeks, and now he was doing this. Talk about head spinning. "I'm sorry. I'm really trying to not cause us to fight right now, but seriously? You seemed pretty attached to Valerie these past few weeks. I mean, you stopped talking to me. And now you are kissing my hand and telling me she doesn't matter. What's going on?"

Sirius dropped her hand, and ran his hands through his hair. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. Melody fought the urge to reach out and touch him, and she lost. Her hand slid over his shoulder, rubbing in small circles. She absolutely hated seeing him like this, especially since she caused it.

"Sirius." Melody whispered. When he didn't respond, she slipped out of the chair, and kneeled in front of him. She gently pulled his hands away from his head, so she could see his face better. She slouched lower so she was face to face with him. He looked so tormented that it tore her heart up. "Sirius, I'm sorry. From what you've told me, I can gather that you are going through a lot, and I'm sorry I haven't been able to be there for you. I just want to make sure that Valerie is."

"She's not you." Sirius' eyes finally focused on her. He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "She's nothing like you. She was just a distraction. I don't need her. I need you."

Melody didn't have words. She just wrapped her arms around his neck, and hugged him tightly. Yes, she realized that if she kept letting him off the hook, she was just giving him permission to keep doing it, but right now she couldn't help it. He needed friends even if he was being a jerk about it.

"Are we good?" Sirius asked in her ear as they continued to hug.

"For now." Melody smiled, pulling away enough to look at him. "Until you do something to tick me off, which is bound to happen."

Kissing him on the cheek, she pulled away and stood up. She looked down at him, trying to think of what to say. But nothing came to her. Melody offered him another smile, and turned away. "Have a good summer, Sirius. I will see you in the fall."

Melody forced herself to not look back as she left to go catch the Knight's Bus again to head home. She had to play this cool. She couldn't let Sirius know that she was hurt by how he was treating her. One day they would work things out, but today was his day. She knew he needed it.

"I hope Lily responds soon." Melody mumbled to herself as she stuck her wand in the air to hail the Bus.


End file.
